A father was killed and his daughter seriously injured while walking along a Florida beach when a small plane crash landed Sunday on the Gulf Coast only feet from the surf, authorities said.

Wendy Rose, a spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, said the pilot and his only passenger weren't hurt when the Piper aircraft lost power and touched down Sunday afternoon near Venice Beach.

"A man and one of his children who were walking on the beach were apparently injured by the plane," said Rose. She said the Venice airport received a distress call at 2:45 p.m. Sunday that the plane couldn't make it back to the airport.

"They were contacted by a pilot whose small plane was in distress. He knew he couldn't make it back to the airport and was going to try to land on the beach. And he did land at the edge of the water on the beach," Rose added.

She said the girl was airlifted to a children's hospital where she was apparently in critical condition. The identities of those involved were not immediately released.

Photos and video footage taken at the scene showed the Piper Cherokee, its nose pointed down and nearly touching white sans only feet from a gentle lapping surf. The left wing appeared to extend over the water's edge. A police boat was anchored nearby and a law enforcement officer stood close by. Bystanders gawked from a distance.

Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told The Associated Press in an email that the FAA was investigating. She said the plane reportedly lost power and landed on the sand near Caspersen Beach in Venice but she had no further details as of Sunday evening.

National Transportation and Safety Board investigators have headed to the site.

"We don't know exactly what caused the crash but the NTSB is en route and will investigate," added Rose, a community affairs manager for the sheriff's office.